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Ceramic, Porcelain and Natural Stone Tile

Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles offer the same kind of elegant, timeless charm and beauty as natural wood floors, but have the added bonus of providing a water-resistant and more easily maintained finish. They are durable, scratch- and impact resistant and offer a beautiful and elegant flooring solution to high traffic areas such as halls and passageways, as well as verandas, bathrooms and kitchens where a waterproof finish is paramount.

Both ceramic and porcelain tiles are made out of a type of clay known as kaolinite mixed with other organic materials including feldspar, alabaster, bone ash and silica. The tiles are shaped and then kiln-baked at extremely high temperatures which vitrifies (turns to glass) the kaolinite to make the tiles hard, durable, and water resistant.

The distinction between ceramic and porcelain depends on whether you use the American or European definition. To Europeans, porcelain tiles are always lighter coloured than ceramics because they are made out of kaolinite that contain less iron oxide and more silica. To Americans, porcelain simply means the best quality ceramic tiles.

Porcelain tiles are better at keeping your rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. Ceramic tiles are undoubtedly the most affordable option. Both come in an almost infinite range of sizes, finishes, colours, and shapes and so offer huge flexibility when it comes to design.

Natural stone offers all the benefits of ceramic and porcelain tile but requires slightly more care with its upkeep and general maintenance.

Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles can be glazed or unglazed, depending if you want a matt or shinier finish.

The downsides to ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles are that they can be slippery when wet and they are also cold and hard underfoot.

Our Emco Flooring Solutions experts can offer you more information about whether the kind of tiles you would like are suitable for where you would like to install them.

Solid vinyl flooring

Vinyl is a very affordable, durable, water resistant option for high traffic areas such as entrance halls, kitchens, bathrooms, etc.

It is made out of a combination of vinyl resin, fillers, plasticizers and stabilizers which are blended together to give a smooth, soft and warmish surface. This thick upper layer of clear vinyl is protected by a urethane finish which keeps the vinyl scratch resistant and waterproof.

The upper layer is bonded to one of two types of backing material: felt, which is the most common and glues to the floor, and fiberglass which offers a more comfortable, firm, cushioned feel underfoot, helps to keep the vinyl from rolling up, is more resistant, and can be installed without glue.

Solid vinyl comes in both 12’ and 6’ widths for flexibility of installation.

Solid vinyl floors come in an almost limitless array of colours and designs that imitate most other flooring options, including hardwood, natural stone, and ceramic and porcelain tile.

For a hardwearing, water resistant, easy to install, easy to maintain flooring material that comes in an enormous array of styles and colour, vinyl is hard to beat.

Linoleum

Many people mistake vinyl for linoleum or lino. This is not surprising since it looks fairly similar. Linoleum was actually one of the original types of composite floorings and was first used in the 19th century. It is made out of a mixture of wood or cork dust, gums, linseed oil, and pigments.